Loose sheet holder



J. EIFEL LOOSE SHEET HOLDER Filed Dec. 17, 1921 July 21, 193.1.

Patented July 21, 1931 UNIreu STATESUy `PATENT GFP'IE`v JOSEPH EIFELYOFCHICAGQILLINOS LQOSE 'SHEET HOLDER Application filed December 17, 1921;

My present invention relates generally to engaging means and moreparticularly to an arrangementfor engaging .and securing onel or morelsheetsin predetermined position.

p The principal objectsandadvantages of thisV inventionA reside` in theprovision of 'an improved loose leaf holder including an improvedarrangement'ofthe base in sections which may be rectilinearly movedtoward mgand away from each otheriand adjusted in various positions forvarying the dimensions ofthe base forqaccommodatmgvarying numeitherindependently ofeach other or as a- 20,; group with respectto the basemember car-v rying the same for accommodating sheets havingdifferentspacing of perforatlons.

Another object ofthis inventionY resides in the provision of thesheet-engaging elements so that 'theyare vfrictionally held. inpositions of group and ,individual adjustment longitub, dinally of thebinder, so that the carrying:

means therefor may bejremoved for bodily removing a group of theoprongslor so that said Vprongs may be ysusceptible Vofa rela,-V tively lineadjustment longitudinallyoffthe binder so-that'oifsetting of sheets atthe endsi being formed into therounded engaging inofthe binder i forindexing` purposes and to accommodate-,sheets of diiierent spacings asto the openings therein or of different lengths may.- be accomplished.

In the attainment of these objects and-of suchother objects-as:mayappear or be pointedzout yin the following description, Iha'vef 401providedl a construction .one embodiment,` of which is illustrated-in,the;drawings, where.-

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Figure 1 'isan endrelevationalviewfofthex tween which the legslareyreceived. TheA inside of loose kleaf holder or binder in closedposition; o i

Figure 2 is a view'similarto that of Figure 1 showing the binder, inopen* or expanded position; f

Figure 3is an end view taken'from a-posif Serial No. 523,085.

.Figure 4 is a sectional View taken online 1f-4 of Figure 2 lookinginthe direction of the arrows; and

Figure 5 is a view taken on line'- of Figure 2 :also looking in thedirectionof the arrows. l

As will be seen upon viewing the figures of the drawings, haveillustrated my invention as embodied in a helder or'binder for loosesheets or leaves inwhich I vuse a plurality ofsheet-engaging membersarranged in two opposed groups 10 and 11, asiclearly shown.

yhese vgroupsl() and A11 eachv preferably consists of ingeizportionsorposts 12of the shape illustrated and each arranged to engagefin anopeningv appropriately. positioned inA the;-

sheets or leaves to be -lield thereby; the reason for the useof the twoopposed groups 10 and 11, each group made up of a kplurality of membersis to permit of simultaneousengagement with tw-o sets of sheets and topermit of off-y setting of these sets by oifsetti'ngV the. twosheetdioldinggroups lO'and 11;-

As these two groups of members 10rand 11 have lbeen illustrated forconvenience as substantially alilrein all respects, and as similarlysupported, on a two-part base 10a hereinafter described thedescription.of-'onegnoup, and itsmanner ofvsupport will suiice for theother. The group of members 10, comprises, a plurality of individualelements, each substantially U-s'haped in configuration, one leg asshown and the tw-o legs being spaced a subg stantial distance apart allfor reasons that will be obvious. The legs 13 of all the mem-f bersorielements 12, ofV which fivehavebeenfshownmfor'purpose ofillustration, are received within the carrierr member, 14 which ispreferably made ofometal doubledqover as shown to provide the two wallsv15 and 16 be-rengagement betweenthe walls V15 and16and the legs 13 isayfrictional onewhich, while permitting of the movementy of Yeach member12 not onlyrelatively to the carrier member,Y 14 but independently ofand relatively to one L another, lnei'fertheiessftendstclre'epptheqnembers 12 in desired relative positions. For the purpose oflimiting this movement to a direction longitudinally of the member 14;and substantially at a right angle to the direction of the lingers 12, lhave provided one of the walls 15 preferably of the member 141-, and thelegs 13 of the members 12, with Vthe interengaging portions 17 and 18which will tend to prevent a lateral disengagement thereof, whilepermitting the aforementioned movement.

rlhe members 17 and 18 are provided by upsetting the metal of themembers 13 and 141 longitudinally, so that there is in effect, tongueand groove engagement provided between said members 13 and 14, thuspreventing their accidental lateral separation or relative displacement,but permitting relative longitudinal displacement of said members asexplained. They ma'T be laterally removed separately in the event thatthe sheet Vemployed has less perforations in it than there are fingersin the binder.:

rllhe doubled-up 'carrier member 1d is received between the side walls19 and 2O formed by bending both of the base or support members 21 and21L as shown in lF igures 3 and Ll, to forni the channels 22 withinwhich are received the carrier members 14. The walls 19 and 2O of themember 21 are preferably parallel to and in frictional engagement withthe walls 15 and 16, respectively, of the carrier member 14, and thewall 19 is longitudinally pressed up as shown at 23 to coact with theportion 17 previously described in the same manner that said portion 17coacts with the portions 1S of the legs 13. By the construction thus fardescribed, l have provided not only for the ready adj ustability,ren'iovability, and interchangeability of each of the members 12 withreference to the carrier member 14 independently of one another, but lhave also pro fided for their removability as a unit with the member 1lwhich, as will be observed, is removable from its position in thechannel 22. y

As set forth above, l have used the two sets of members 10 vand 11 withthe fingers 12 of o ne setextending toward the support for the other setof fingers, each set being carried upon the base members 21 and 21a inthe manner already described and lbeing normally in staggeredrelationship. For giving these two sets of lingers a relative movementtoward and from each other, I have provided the toggle constructioncomprising the levers 25 and-26 pivoted to leach other intermediatetheir ends in any desired manner such as by the headed member 27, oneend of each lever being pivoted at 28, 29 to the base member 21 or 21,the other end of each lever havinga lost motion connection with theopposite base member by means of the pin and slot connections 30, 31 and32, 33,

A spring 34: passes around the pivot 27, and

has its free ends 35 and 36 in engagement with the pivots 28 and 29, theaction of this spring being to force the pivots 28 and 29 apart and thusautomatically operate the toggle to eX- tend the base members 21 and2liL or retract them.

For retainingt'ne toggle in any desired predetermined position, I haveprovided the lever 25 with the toothed portion 37, coacting with theoppositely facing teeth on the segment 38 carried bythe slide 39, theteeth of said segment being maintained in engagement with the toothedportion 37 by the spring 40, having its end 4:1 in contact with someportion of the structure such as the base member 21, and having itsother Vend in engagement with the upstanding flange 43 on the lower endof the slide 39. Upon viewing the construction of the toothed members 37and 38 and th ir association, it will be observed that they prevent anyundesired opening of the binder (i. e. separation of the base members 21and 21a) beyond the desired position, and that if such further openingis desired, the flan ge t3 is pushed upwardly and with it the toothedsegment 38 upon which the spring 34 will automatically cause' aseparation of the base members to the fully-extended position of thebinder.

t is frequently desired to have the two groups of posts 10 and 11 in apredetermined offset position, as for inoexing purposes.V For thesepurposes, I have provided one of the walls such as 16 of one of themembers 14, with the bent-down teat 9, which is adapted to engage in anyone of the depressions 50 with which the adjacent wall 2O of the basemembers 21 and 21a are provided (see Figure This member' 14 is furtherprovided with the'handle portion 42 for this purpose. vVith thisarrangement the group of engaging fingers 10 can be maintained in any ofa number of predetermined positions with reference to theengaginglingers of the other group, three such positions being indicatedfor purposes of illustration.

It is sometimes desirable that sheets having various entries thereonhave their upper or lower margins, as the case may be, oliset withrespect to each other so as to expose the series of adjacent margins ofthe sheets to view.

To accomplish this, assuming that the binder is full of sheets, thebinder is opened, as shown in Figure 2, and one or a plurality of thesheets which are to be odset are disengaged from the then engaging setof pins, and said sheet or sheets are moved longitudinally of the binderin stepped fashion the distance between two of the opposed pins andagain engaged with the pins. Each sheet in succession may 4be thus heldinthe binder in offset relation so that, say, the upper edges of eachsheet are offset one below the other.

If the binder is later employed With other sheets having perforationslocated at different points than the sheets originally sold with thebinder or originally used in it, then the pins themselves may beadjusted as to their respective spacings by removing the carriers 14 andsliding the pins therein, or by preventing movement of the carriermembers 14 and moving the pins relatively thereto. The former is moreconvenient, as the pins may be measured exactly with the perforations ofthe sheet more readily by moving a Whole group from the binder.

Thile the material from which the carrier 14 is constructed has beenshown relatively heavy, the purpose is to indicate that this will be ofslightly stiffer material than channel Walls 19 and 2O so that the pinsWill not readily bend the elements in insertion and removal thereof.rlhe pins may be removed from the member 14 either by sliding themlongitudinally therein or by Working them back and forth so that theirportions 13 will be angularly displaced and thus spread the legs 15 and16, permitting removal of the pins.

Upon viewing Figure 4, it Will be observed that the base members 21 and21a include th plate portions 45 and 46 which form the bacl:

of the binder and are relatively displaced in position as shown topermit of t reir telescoping. Secured to each of these portions and 46are-the cover members 47, 48 made cf any desired or preferred material.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, What l claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. 1n a. device of thecharacter described, in combination, a base member, a group ofsheet-engaging members comprising prongs adapted to impale the sheets,means for supporting said group on said base for displacementlongitudinally of the base, and said sheet-engaging members beingslidable in said supporting means for individual adjustmentrelativethereto.

2. 1n a device of the character described, in combination, a basemember, a group of sheet-engaging members comprising prongs adapted toimpale the sheets, means for supporting said group on said base fordisplacement longitudinally of the base, and said sheet-engaging membersbeing slidable in said supporting means for individual adjustmentrelative thereto, said group of sheetengaging members being removableupon removal of a portion of the supporting means from the device.

3. In a loose leaf holder, a base member, a supporting member removablymounted on and supported by said base member, and longitudinallyadustable thereon, and a plurality of sheet-engaging elements carried bysaid supporting member and slidably and relatively adjustablelongitudinally and independently thereof.

4. In a loose sheet holder, in combination,

a base member having tWo parts, sheet-engaging members, means forsupporting said sheet-engaging members for adjustment upon andrelatively to said parts, but said means limiting such adjustment todirections transversely of the longitudinal axes of said sheetengagingmembers, and means for relatively moving said parts ofthe base memberrelatively to each other so as to adjust the sheetengaging memberstoward and away from each other.`

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a base memberhaving a longitudinally extending supporting means substantiallyU-shaped incross-section, a plurality of sheet-engaging prongs, acarrier for said prongs extending longitudinally of the base andreceived in said supporting means, said carrier means being U-shaped incross-section and said prongs lying transversely of the longitudinalaxis of the base and having portions engaging said carrier member,vvhereby said carrier member and said prongs are frictionally held bysaid supporting means.

6. ln a loose leaf holder, in combination, a l ase member', a pluralityof sheet-engaging prongs, a carrier member for said prongs lyinglongitudinally of said base, said base having means for removably andadj ustably receiving said carrier member longitudinally of the base sothat said prongs Will normally project transversely of the longitudinalaxis thereof, and said prongs being individually adjustable in saidcarrier member along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidbase.

7. In a loose leaf holder, in combination, a base member, a plurality ofsheet-engaging members projecting transversely of the longitudinal axisthereof, a carrier member forsaidsheet-engagingmembersextendinglongitudinally of the loose leafholder and substantially U-shaped in cross-section to engage adjacentends of said sheet-engaging members, said base member having a portionthereof bent into U-shaped form in crosssection and extendinglongitudinally thereof lfoorfrictionally retaining said carrier mem- Intestimony whereof I have hereunto

